Best Summer Annuals of 2017

...our Phillips gardeners plant hundreds of annuals each year, and we’re always looking for the best cultivars to plant for our clients (and for ourselves!). We sorted through our top picks for 2017, and we’re ready to provide you with suggestions for next year. (It’s never too early to think about gardening next year.)

For the Love of Roses

The best rose-growing advice that I have for you is this: strong roses are healthy roses. A good start will take a little care and planning, but your roses will pay you back handsomely. First, make sure you have a planting site that gives them at least four to six hours of full sun. Next, check that they have some elbow room. Roses really appreciate good air circulation, which means allowing at least a foot around each plant so air can circulate freely and keep diseases at bay.

Annual Plant Maintenance

Too much water!? Too little water!? How do you know when or when not to water? That old trick of sticking your finger into the pot is tried and true. Water your plants thoroughly when the top two inches of soil are dry to the touch.

Creating Connection in Suburban Landscapes

Since the homeowner requested prairie-style plants, the resulting Phillips Garden design is brimming with grasses and other fast-growing wildflowers and trees. In the front yard, the repetition of tall grasses blurs the house’s sharp angles, decreasing its sense of formality while also emphasizing a more welcoming front entryway. As the trees grow, they will continue to diminish this home’s overpowering presence on its lot. Meanwhile, the perennial plants provide fresh contrasting textures.

Defining Space in an Urban Setting

Our designers established a private area by elevating a seating area near the front door, setting it apart from the sidewalk. The mixed media dry-stack wall subtly creates privacy without erecting an imposing barrier. At the same time, the opening in the wall and the stone steps direct visitors up to the welcoming clay-paver patio surrounded by flowering perennials.

Early Spring Garden Care

Here at Phillips Garden, we’re very ready for spring. We’ve been sharpening our pruners, hauling away this past winter’s decorative evergreen branches, and of course, daydreaming about planting!

FIELD NOTES